Louis Brandeis statue with red flowers in the foreground

About

Learn, engage, lead

There is no other place like Brandeis. As a medium-sized private research university with global reach, we are dedicated to first-rate undergraduate education while making groundbreaking discoveries.

Our 235-acre campus is located in the suburbs of Boston, a global hub for higher education and innovation.

Our faculty are leaders in their fields, as passionate about teaching and mentorship as they are about pushing the boundaries of knowledge. Our students are motivated, compassionate, curious and open to exploring new and challenging experiences.

At Brandeis, you will discover a community rooted in purpose, guided by our founding values, poised to lead in education and research in the 21st century.

Brandeis students in 1961

Our story

Brandeis was established in 1948 by the American Jewish community at a time when Jews and other ethnic and racial minorities, and women, faced discrimination in higher education. Our visionary founders created a nonsectarian research university that welcomed talented faculty and students of all backgrounds and beliefs. From the outset, Brandeis focused on undergraduate education, while building a pioneering research enterprise.

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Our Jewish roots

At its core, Brandeis is animated by a set of values that are rooted in Jewish history and experience.

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Mission and Diversity Statements

Brandeis University is a community of scholars and students united by their commitment to the pursuit of knowledge and its transmission from generation to generation.

Read our mission and diversity statements

Fast facts

How many students are enrolled at Brandeis? What’s the average SAT score? There’s more to Brandeis than numbers, but our numbers speak for themselves.

Get the facts about Brandeis

Distinguished faculty

Interested in science, history or theater? Or all three subjects? In every academic discipline, Brandeis faculty are award winners, thought leaders, intellectual pioneers — and inspiring teachers. Take a course on ethics in journalism from a Pulitzer Prize-winning professor, or learn how neural circuits shape learning with a MacArthur Award “genius.” Try out for the lead in a theater production directed by a professor with a shelf of Eliot Norton Awards. At Brandeis, you’ll learn from faculty known for innovative teaching as well as scholarship.

Find out more about our award winners

Tom Friedman speaks at Brandeis

Alumni with impact

Our alumni make us proud. They are leaders and innovators in the many professions and pursuits shaping society today. From acting to string theory, Brandeis alumni are at the top of their game.

Discover our alumni

Additional resources

What’s in a Name?

Louis D. Brandeis

Our namesake, Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis, championed open inquiry and civic engagement. During his tenure on the high court (1916-1941), Justice Brandeis established the legal concept of a right to privacy, fiercely defended civil liberties, and helped define the modern understanding of free speech. Justice Brandeis personified the values at the heart of the bold institution our founders were building.